Pumped for Information
“Enter zip code.”
First Impressions
Low on fuel and on a tight schedule, I pulled into a BP-fueled truck stop. Grimy housings, hand-scrawled, duct-taped instructions, greasy LCD screens and several “out of order” signs indicated that this wasn’t your typical BP.
My instincts told me to take my business elsewhere but my fuel gauge and my watch spurred me on.
Imposing Impressions
I inserted my credit card into the slot and after a long delay—as if awakened from a deep, sleepy dial-up—the screen queried, “Credit or Debit?” I punched “Credit” and, after another delay, got “Car Wash Y/N?” I scanned the keypad and hit “N.” At last the computer processed my input and responded “Enter zip code.”
Zip code? This zip code? Certainly not. My business zip code? My home zip code? And why? ID verification? Demographic purposes? Requiring personal data mid-transaction calls for a friendly explanation. Something beyond “Enter zip code.”
Perturbed, I punched in my home zip code. Time passed, “Authorizing…” At long last the pump offered up its final decree: “Card error.” Now invested and thinking I’d erred in supplying my home zip code, I repeated the entire process, entering my business zip code—to no avail, “Card error” again.
Lasting Impressions
I returned to my car, cold, irritated, and still in need of fuel, wondering exactly what “Card error” meant. And why zip code was the last query in my customer experience, not the first. Several exits later I filled my tank at a competitor’s pump using the same credit card.
So what did BP gain from this customer interaction? They realized no sale, no add-on sale and, by association with the truck stop, a less than positive brand impression with a potential customer.
Acquiring customer data and positioning yourself for additional sales opportunities is smart business, but never at the expense of your customers’ experience. In today’s convenience-oriented, competitive business climate, place a premium on your customers’ time and expectations. From housekeeping to user interface design, put customer needs and desires ahead of your own. That’s front line branding.
[ image: ifranz ]
October 1st, 2008 at 10:45 am
Isn’t that to verify billing address?
October 1st, 2008 at 11:16 am
Don’t disagree with any of your comments, they’re right on - but I did want to comment and say that the reason they ask for zip is to prevent fraud. They want the zip that’s on your credit card billing address.
Too many people are stealing credit cards and using them for gas - which is a stupid thing to do considering the gas station probably has both your face and your license plate on camera, but this probably saves the gas station considerable time and expense.
If only they’d invest those savings in a better interface, usability and brand experience :-(
October 1st, 2008 at 12:07 pm
@Erica Yes, as James articulates above (er, below in your case).
@James Zip: thanks for verifying my suspicions. :) UI/Brand: Indeed, and agreed.
Thanks to both of you for dropping by. Btw, what are your zip codes? ;)
October 1st, 2008 at 12:11 pm
Mediocre (leaning to bad) user experiences have become the norm. Now, only the extremely good, and extremely bad earn a place in my memory. Yours is another classic example of companies stuck in the “it’s all about me” mentality. Whether it’s customer service, marketing or technology infrastructure, branding is about the customer experience. It lives and breathes through the entire corporate food chain, for better or worse.
October 19th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
I had the same response the first time I was greeted with “Enter Zip Code”. I’ve since realized through other transactions at different stores that the need for the Zip Code is just to verify billing address.
BUT … the gas pump should tell me that.
October 19th, 2008 at 11:35 pm
That happened to me at a BP and I was so disgusted and irritated, I ran like a dawg and vowed nevah evah to use that gasoline station again, even if it means I have to push my car to another one. I refuse to give them my business because they made it so impossible to buy gas. Oy, I was so frustrated….